Sheila Hancock on climbing mountains at 85, loving John Thaw, and why she has a 'Messiah complex'

At nearly 85, Sheila Hancock is still evolving. “I’ve gone from grumpy to angry to downright confused,” says the veteran actress. “As you get older, you’re meant to become more positive, but I’m in danger of heading in the opposite direction. And no wonder when you look at the state of the world.

“But, having said that, I do believe good can come out of bad. The Harvey Weinstein scandal, please God, is an example of that. Which is why I can say I look forward with hesitant hope. And I’m also prepared to go on record to say that I think Theresa May is showing the most amazing guts. She’s being thumped from all directions – some of it justified, in my view – but she’s keeping going.

“There’s a Quaker credo to which I subscribe: ‘That of God in everyone.’ It’s why, in the end, I believe good will always outdo evil.”

We have met in a private members’ club near her west London home, and Hancock...